Getting the most out of your consultant

A survival guide
comment about current trends. They are known for their phobias in using now widespread electronic technologies; especially e-portfolios for work based assessments (if they even know their password). It is natural that these consultants might fondly recall the "old days" of medical training through rose tinted glasses. Juniors should therefore not feel slighted if such a consultant expresses a withering critique of their knowledge of anatomy or the structure of modern medical training and careers.

The retationship medical students and doctors have with their seniors is important for career progression and development. There is a wide variety of personatity types among consuttants, and knowing which type your consuttant fits into could prove useful in getting the most from your attachment. We invite you to identify your own supervising consultants within our taxonomy and use the advice we provide on how to best deal with each a rch etype.

The "old schoolo' coRsultant Survival tips In dealing with an old school consultant, it is worth identifying their personal preferences, bearing in mind that they are unlikely to be readily dissuaded from their preferred course of action. Be mindful when attached to their firm that being punctual, organised, and smartly dressed is likely to carry considerable favour. The educationalist The educationalist is readily distinguished through their ceaseless endeavours to impart knowledge to iunior trainees in their vicinity and the wider world. These consultants are always willing to discourse, perhaps a refreshing change in the era of working time directives and where service provision often overshadows teaching needs. However, they might have a propensity for prolonged interrogations of hapless iuniors, including the barely conscious FY1 at the end of a night shift. Some have a tendency to digress from the case in hand and take what can seem like a magical mystery tour of evidence based medicine. The advantage to having an educationist archetype consultant is
The old school consultant, resplendent in white coat and neck tie, comes from

The *'qccentric" consultant The eccentric consultant, often but not exclusively from a surgical specialty, is an unpredictable master. These individuals manifest overt and quirky idiosyncrasies with a marked fluctuance in their countenance. The eccentric consultant is prone to verbal or physical outbursts. They are generally gifted clinicians and passionate by nature, with a tendency to be something of a "Marmite" consultant, either loving or hating their iunior trainee. The team attending such individuals will often proceed with a feeling of trepidation for fear of what might be around the
corner.

z
=

obvious.

broad church of specialties and is classically marked out by their seniority and shared characteristics. While at flrst meeting they might seem austere, many are open and friendly with a wealth of experience to offer. These consultants completed specialist training many years ago and remain adherent to several traditional methods. Old school consultants can often be heard wistfully recalling earlier times when asked to
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Survival tips
There are two ways to deal

with the

educationalist with a tendency to digress. One could simply stand and receive meekly the offered wisdom with as much grace as you can muster between gritted teeth. Secondly, if you feel so inclined, a toe-totoe encounter can be initiated to discuss further the f,ner points in question. This latter option carrying the risk of extended interaction with the educationalist.
STUNENT BM} I VOLUME 22 I JANUARY 2014

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Survival tips
When dealing with the eccentric consultant it is important to bear in mind that their actions are seldom personally directed and are often spontaneous in nature. Their hostility tends to be universal, including senior consultant colleagues. The optimal strategy for a lunior would be to win favour with the eccentric consultant early on; failing this, arm yourself with a hard hat and keep your head down.

well liked by their consultant colleagues and juniors, all of whom are well used to their pattern of working. These individuals are typically amiable and somewhat aloof in their demeanour; many will possess a bewildering capacity for work, which results in a perpetually overcrowded level
of commitment. Such consultants are often away a lot, engaged in a multitude of activities ranging from academic pursuits through to business interests, and/or

private practice. The "difftcult to please" consultant The difficult to please consultant is a highly functioning and extremely competent individual who is well aware of their abilities. This individual is often readily identifiable and usually enioys a degree of notoriety among funior medical staff in their region. They generally possess an unshakable view that nobody is quite good enough (in their estimation). Expect their critiques to be mostly negative as they will never be entirely satisfied with your efforts in managing their patients. On the rare occasion when they can bring themselves to offer praise or encouragement to their trainee, it is often grudgingly offered and typically uses an indirect approach. Survival tips

junior doctor working for this consultant type, it is important to remember that ultimately, they are responsible for their patients. The advice would be get on with the jobs at hand and make the most of your consultant's time when they are there.
As a

with

a strong

imprint of evidence based

medicine. They are in the process of adaptation to their consultant role and are often upbeat with a positive outlook. Characteristically, the new consultant is highly interactive, energetic, and more hands on in the running of their irm. Many invite juniors to use flrst name terms, although this is not universal-a proportion seem to seek to distance themselves from their luniors in reflection of their new status. Such consultants are well versed in electronic portfolios and are often proactive in offering work
based assessments and career guidance. When working for a new consultant it is likely that a trainee will be well supervised; ideal for trainees in their early years. Attachments with such clinicians represent the ideal opportunity to boost

Ccnclusions
In reading these profiles a trainee might recognise particular consultants they have worked for. However, a considerable number of consultants do not fall into any of the featured archetypes presented and some might manifest traits from several prof,les. Regardless of which archetype your current boss falls into, it is worth remembering that all consultants have something to offer in terms of training and career development.
Shofiq lslam specialist registrar in maxillofacial surgery, Leicester Royal I nfirmary, Leicester,
LE1 5WW

your portfolio ranking points.

To

Survivaltips win brownie points with the new

Survival tips
There is only one way to cope with the diftcult to please consultant, and it is to develop a thick skin and a sense of gallows humour, accept the terms and conditions on offer, and move on,

consultant the best strategy would be to demonstrate familiarity with clinical management algorithms and keep up to date with medical literature. It would be wise to make the most of these consultants to remedy defrciencies in your electronic portfolios given that they are typically forthcoming in oftering work based assessments. The *difficult to 6nd'consultant This group of consultants take several
forms. AIl, however, have the quality of being difrcult to find, and this can lead to gleater or lesser inconvenience, depending on the situation. They are often

Correspondence to: S lslam d rshafiq islam@hotmai[.co. uk

Christopher Taylor specialist registrar in chest medicine, Salisbury Hospitat, Salisbury, Wiltshire,
SP2 8BI

The "new'u consultant The new consultant has recently completed their higher specialist training and readily recalls the iunior years,
sTunENT BMj I VOLUME 22 | IANUARY 2014

Competing interests: None dectared. Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; not externaIty peer reviewed.
Clte this as: Srudent BMI 2071;2717386

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